"Tribios, from now on, this man will be your teacher."
The little red-haired girl looked up in confusion. For some reason, the High Priest, whom she rarely ever saw, was standing before her with a bruised and swollen face, smiling as he spoke. Her mother, whose expression was usually filled with sorrow and exhaustion, now wore a genuinely happy and relieved smile.
As for the young man everyone respectfully called Teacher, there was something rather strange about him.
Could wings really grow from the sides of a person's head?
"The Stellarons known as the Cancer of All Worlds were actually released by Harmony. As for why that existence chose to do such a thing, or what kind of scheme might lie behind it, I'm afraid I don't know."
Lygus spoke about some of the secrets he knew while sitting beside Caelus, his gaze curiously sweeping across their surroundings. The place had been arranged exactly like a movie theater, and the two of them were currently watching footage of Sunday teaching Tribios about the principles of Harmony.
Although Sunday now walked the road of Redemption and had once followed Order, he believed his understanding of Harmony was more than sufficient to teach someone else.
"Then do you know what the final aspect of Xipe's three faces is?"
"Unfortunately, I don't. My primary responsibility was to operate the Scepter, guide the answer to this experiment toward Destruction, and then transmit that answer to Nous so I could corrupt the Path of Erudition and accomplish my objective. I haven't studied the other Aeons nearly as deeply. If I ever get the opportunity, I think I'd like to learn more about them."
Lygus spoke in an unusually relaxed tone, even though once this entire affair ended, the heroes might very well execute the mastermind behind everything in the name of revenge.
Kaelanna, for example, would probably cut off his head without the slightest hesitation.
"You've been getting more casual lately."
"Perhaps the part of me that can be called human is finally beginning to grow. After all, the existence known as Zandar disappeared countless years ago. The only person standing here now is a scholar named Lygus."
"When all of this ends, you're going to die. Yet even now, I haven't noticed you preparing any means of survival, nor any way to transmit your memories and consciousness elsewhere."
"I've already done everything I needed to do. My mission has been completed, and even the objective I originally pursued has been achieved in another form. In that case, I suppose it really is time for me to leave the stage. I still have plenty of regrets, of course, but as you once said, some people must eventually pay the price for what they've done."
Lygus showed no fear or resentment toward his approaching death. He seemed remarkably at peace with it.
Caelus said nothing more and simply watched the final story playing across the screen before them.
As Tribios's teacher, Sunday taught her the principles of Harmony. After news of the coming catastrophe spread, he did not allow her to shatter into countless fragments as she had in the original story. Instead, the two of them traveled from one city-state to another, establishing connections one place at a time.
"If you want everyone to work together, shared ideals alone are not enough. The darker impulses buried within people will always tempt them to indulge their own greed.
"When faced with a disaster that has not yet arrived, people often choose to ignore it. They care more about immediate benefits than the future because their lives are short, and so the present naturally feels more important.
"If you wish to unite all people, then first give them something they can believe in. Align their ideals and bring their wills together."
As Sunday spoke, he also demonstrated that if someone refused to understand reason, he was perfectly capable of resorting to a more physical form of persuasion.
The story gradually approached its conclusion. With Sunday's help, Tribios successfully united the rulers of numerous city-states during this cycle and established a parliamentary system.
To confront the coming apocalypse of the Black Tide and the disaster already spreading from the sea, the people began consolidating the strength of the entire continent and preparing to resist the invading enemy together.
The answer was not perfect, but it was enough.
Sunday pushed open the theater door and walked inside. After glancing at the available seats, he sat down to Caelus's right.
The three now sat in a row, watching as the film on the screen reached its conclusion and the final credits began to roll.
"Every story eventually comes to an end. It's difficult not to feel reluctant, but I suppose the story of Amphoreus is finally reaching its closing chapter."
Lygus spoke after the last of the credits disappeared.
"This unforgettable experience will also become something valuable in my own life. It has given me a great deal that will help me continue growing."
Sunday spoke next.
"As expected, I can only call myself a third-rate scriptwriter. The structure and progression of the story were crude in many places. Compared with the epics I've read before, there's still an enormous difference."
Caelus said this before rising from his seat.
"Heading to the final battlefield?" Lygus asked. "What a pity. I would have liked to witness such a magnificent scene with my own eyes, but this body of mine would never survive in a place like that. I'm afraid I can only remain here and await the conclusion."
"Be careful, Caelus," Sunday said. "HE told you that if things become impossible, you can call upon HIM when necessary. HE has always been there."
"Mm. Then the two of you can remain here and watch the final part of the story. It's time for me to take the stage."
Caelus stepped forward and approached the screen itself. His body passed through it as though he were crossing a transparent surface of water, sending ripples across the image before he disappeared completely into it.
The screen had already gone black after the film ended, but now it flickered again. A new image appeared, showing outer space beyond Amphoreus.
A Command Block, reduced to the size of a small cube, floated above Caelus's palm, while his golden eyes shone brightly.
As if sensing that the authority of Creation was manifesting and that the Path of Creation was about to emerge, Destruction descended upon this place once again to prevent its birth.
Caelus stood before Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction.
"The first," he said.
"Permanence."
Pitch-black lightning exploded across the cosmos.
At that exact moment, every intelligent being throughout the universe, whether they were reading novels on an electronic device, watching animation, viewing a film, or doing anything similar, saw their screens suddenly blur.
Then the image of Amphoreus appeared.
Every intelligent life-form in the universe with access to a phone, terminal, or similar electronic device had somehow been pulled into the same livestream.
[Aha! Livestream]
The moment everyone saw the enormous title across the broadcast, they immediately understood what was happening.
Some Aeon was causing trouble again.
On the screen, a human figure appeared against the backdrop of the cosmos. His arrival seemed to herald some enormous transformation, because Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, had personally manifested before him.
Then the human's voice traveled through the livestream and reached the entire universe.
"The first, Permanence."
As the thunder faded, every viewer saw something begin to move within the vast darkness of space. A colossal black-and-white dragon, seemingly formed from the stars themselves, opened an eye larger than a sun. The immense creature coiled through a higher region of the cosmos and looked down upon everything below.
At the same time, from a radiant band shaped like a Möbius strip, an indistinct four-legged beast emerged, so translucent that it resembled a projection. Its body was covered in layers of stone.
After its consciousness burned faintly for a short while, it seemed to understand its current situation. It raised its head and looked toward Long, who remained coiled high above.
Long the Permanence calmly glanced at the creature.
In that instant, its translucent projected form became real flesh and blood.
It was alive.
Nanook reached out without hesitation, attempting to destroy the newborn life that carried both the power of Permanence and Creation.
But Long, coiled high above, extended one enormous claw and stopped Nanook's hand.
Permanence against Destruction.
A battle between Aeons.
For a brief moment, the entire universe fell silent.
Then countless voices erupted at once.
(To be continued.)
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◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)